Engagement Photography - What To Wear

I am officially declaring it to be spring, to hell with whatever the weather is up to! Today I bought some spring flowers and planted some seeds so that’s it. I’m over winter, it is now spring! That means it’s time for some engagement shoots. Yes! So to start off with I thought I would answer the most common query, what to wear for your engagement shoot.

I think if you asked a few different photographers you would get a slightly different answer from every one. We all have different styles and to a certain extent what we like to see in our photographs is dictated by our personal tastes. But if you’ve chosen a photographer whose style you like then your tastes should be somewhat similar so it all works out in the end. Does that make sense? Some photographers like to manage very carefully what their clients wear. I’m much more relaxed about it but try to give some ideas just to help you out if you’re worried about it. So, these are my guidelines. This is what I want my couples to know and think about before their shoot.

Wear something that makes you feel great. You want to be comfortable and confident. I want you to be thinking about each other not whether your jeans are too tight!

Think about the location. Something slightly dressier works well for a city shoot but if we’re going to the woods better to keep it casual. If you want to change outfits and get a couple of different looks at two different locations that’s fine. We can easily work in a stop off somewhere so that you can change.

You don’t need to match. In fact I would avoid matching colours as it tends to look a bit contrived. My advice is just make sure you don’t clash. No pink and orange please! A splash of bold colour can look great but keep it simple with just one or two tones of the same colour.

Accessories are great. Scarfs, hats, shoes whatever you like. They can really lift a shoot and add some of your own personality. They also allow a bit more variation in the pictures if you wear a hat for just some shots for instance.

Avoid bold patterns and anything with writing or big logos. This is because they just don’t photograph well. It’s too easy to just get a bit of a word that doesn’t make sense or a weird bit of pattern. Stick to small patterns that look solid from a distance or solid colours.

Avoid black. This is more my own taste but I think black drains colour away from peoples faces and can look very dreary. I think we wear a lot of black in this country and so I always tell my couples to avoid it, that way at least they don’t arrive in head to toe black!

Go for neutrals. This is my favourite look for most shoots. Either warm with browns, creams and beige or cooler with greys and blues. Again more my personal taste but I prefer mid tones and muted colours that look great in natural environments.

A mix of textures always looks good. A knitted jumper, a fur-trimmed coat or a linen dress. Textures add depth to photographs and always look great.

Take some inspiration from past photos. Have look through images of the two of you together. What do you think looks good on each other. What works well together and what doesn’t?